God’s grace is not just a pardon—it’s a pathway. Today’s reflection from Bob Hoekstra reminds us that obedience isn’t born of grit but of grace. Romans 6:14 assures us that sin no longer has dominion over us—not because we’ve become better rule-keepers, but because we are no longer under the law. We are under grace. And grace does what law never could: it transforms from within.

Today’s devotional from Oswald Chambers highlights the transformative simplicity of Jesus’ invitation: Come to Me. It’s not a call to more striving or moral checklist-living, but a summons into a relationship that reorders the heart and infuses the soul with divine vitality. Chambers emphasizes that true rest isn’t passive—it’s an enlivening rest, a Spirit-sustained kind of living.

Today’s reflection from Abide Above reminds us of the staggering truth of our spiritual inheritance in Christ. Though the flesh remains present in our mortal experience, we are no longer in the flesh—we are in the Spirit, and that changes everything.

This morning’s reflection from Witness Lee presses gently yet firmly into one of the most sensitive areas of the heart—how we handle money. The Word doesn't say money itself is evil, but the love of money—a disordered craving—is a root from which all kinds of evils grow. It quietly shifts our allegiance from Christ to control, from generosity to self-preservation, from integrity to compromise.

Paul moves from instructing Timothy on church leadership to preparing him for life and ministry within a culture gone adrift. The opening verses reveal a world where people have rejected the goodness of God—denying the beauty of marriage and the nourishment of food. But Paul calls such rejection demonic, not holy. True godliness, Paul insists, receives God’s gifts with thanksgiving rather than scorn. In a world full of self-made restrictions and religious performance, Paul urges believers to see creation not through suspicion but through celebration.

God’s gospel crosses every boundary—He welcomed Cornelius (a Gentile “God‑fearer”) through his generosity, prayer, and fasting, then sovereignly orchestrated Peter’s vision to declare that Christ’s message and Spirit are for all who believe. Cornelius received the Spirit and baptism without adopting Jewish ritual law, revealing that new covenant inclusion is by faith in Christ alone, not cultural or ceremonial credentials. Peter’s realization—that no person should be deemed unclean—shattered longstanding divisions and sealed God’s corporate purposes in unity.

E. Stanley Jones draws our attention again to the rich phrase in 1 Corinthians 6:11: “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” He highlights how our transformation—cleansing, setting apart, and being declared righteous—is rooted in the name and the Spirit. These are not mere religious terms, but anchors of divine reality.

In today’s reflection, Ray Stedman invites us to see Jesus’ instruction on prayer—“ask, seek, knock”—as more than repetition. It’s a progression. While all three come with the same promise—that God responds—the depth and persistence differ.

Jesus makes no distinction between trusting Him for spiritual needs and trusting Him for physical ones. In fact, He highlights that our Father already knows what we need—down to the very clothes on our backs and food on our tables. But material trust often feels harder. When it comes to spiritual growth or emotional comfort, we may convince ourselves we’re “trusting” even when we’re subtly leaning on our own understanding. But when the refrigerator is empty or the bills pile up, such illusions vanish.

Today’s reflection from Bob Hoekstra centers on the reassuring and instructive truth that God Himself is the One who produces obedience in us—and He alone deserves the glory for it. Hebrews 13:20–21 reminds us that it is “the God of peace” who makes us complete in every good work and works within us what is well pleasing in His sight—through Jesus Christ.

Oswald Chambers challenges us to examine what drives our pursuit of God. He warns that if we’re seeking fulfillment from life rather than from God Himself, we may be chasing self-realization, not transformation. Such seeking leads us further from God, not closer.

Today’s reflection from Miles Stanford reveals the slow, deliberate, and often hidden process by which God works out His purposes in our lives. While our faith may apprehend the promises of God in a moment, their unfolding is typically a matter of divine timing. Just as Abraham believed God decades before offering Isaac, we too may live in the gap between believing and becoming—between receiving light and seeing its full expression.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was not merely an event—it was a Person coming to dwell among us. Peter’s bold proclamation in Acts 3:26 was this: The One whom God raised and exalted—Jesus Christ—is the same One He has now sent again, not physically, but as Spirit. This is how God blesses us—not from a distance, but by giving us the very presence of Christ through His Spirit.

Genesis 7 draws the reader into a solemn moment in redemptive history: God's mercy and judgment converging. The passage features a Hebrew storytelling style marked by repetition—this isn't just redundancy, it's reflection with precision. We’re reminded that Noah didn’t enter the ark haphazardly. He entered in obedience, as commanded, at the exact moment God appointed. We're also given a richer detail than before: instead of simply "two by two," God instructs Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals, indicating early sacrificial intent. These distinctions, far predating Leviticus or Deuteronomy, show God was always working with clarity and purpose.

This powerful stretch of Daniel’s vision unfolds a sweep of history from the Medo-Persian Empire through to the rise and tyranny of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and even points ahead to a future oppressor who will exalt himself against God. The transitions of power between northern and southern kingdoms (descended from Alexander the Great’s divided empire) consistently impact the promised land. God’s people find themselves caught in the crossfire—sometimes ruled by the North, other times by the South—but always seen by God.

Psalm 19 unfolds like a two-part symphony of revelation. In the first movement (vv. 1–6), David draws our eyes upward toward the heavens, declaring that creation itself is a continual testimony to the reality of God. The skies need no language; their witness transcends words. Their proclamation of God’s glory is relentless, reaching every soul on earth through the silent eloquence of sunrises, sunsets, and starlit skies. Paul echoes this truth in Romans, underscoring that no one is without excuse—everyone is exposed to this cosmic sermon.

E. Stanley Jones invites us to consider the order of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 6:11: you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified. It’s not a theological oversight or an arbitrary arrangement. Rather, it offers a glimpse into how God’s work of redemption is seen—not only from Heaven’s viewpoint but from the earthbound reality of our daily lives.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” He was not suggesting we ask God to spare us from every testing moment. After all, even Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. The Christian life is not a life free from temptation—it is a life in which God uses temptation as a tool for our growth.

Today’s reflection by A.B. Simpson calls me to remember: I am the light of the world because Christ is the Light within me. The devotional emphasizes that we do not possess light in ourselves, but like lamps and candlesticks, we must first be lit by the flame of His Spirit. It is Christ who shines, and we are His chosen vessels to carry that light into a world otherwise cloaked in darkness. He could have chosen any means, but He chose us.

God never intended us to strive in our own strength to please Him. His delight is not found in self-effort, but in surrendered hearts through whom He expresses His life. Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra reminds us that pleasing God flows not from trying harder, but from trusting deeper. The obedience He desires is a fruit of His work within us, not our frantic efforts for Him.